Premonition
by Isabelle Ashe
Summary: An alternate version (written pre-Heroes) of Janet's last night. DanJan


Title: Premonition

Author: Isabelle Ashe

Rating: PG

Category: Daniel/Janet, angst

Spoilers: Heroes

Summary: Janet's last night.

Archive: wherever—just let me know

Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the  
author.

Author's Notes: Just a quick little piece that came into my head. For the most part, I'm in Heroes denial, but of course one can't help but think about it occasionally. I wrote this before I had read many Heroes spoilers, and at the time, I only knew that Janet's death happens off-world. I invented the context, and of course, it's incorrect and all that. Oh well—willing suspension of disbelief, people!

Daniel ran down the unending corridor, frantically looking in every door. Behind each was the same blank, empty room. His footfalls echoed on the floor as he ran faster and faster, as if he could outrun the terrible sense of being alone. She had to be here, he thought. He tried calling her name, but no sound came from his throat, only the steady thumping of his shoes. He grew increasingly frantic as he came to the end of the hallway. "Janet!" he screamed, finally finding his voice. There was no answer. She wasn't here. He was alone.

Daniel woke from his dream with a start. Automatically, he reached for Janet, only to find an empty bedroll in the space to his right. He sat up, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the tent. Jack, Sam, and Teal'c all slept soundly in close proximity to him. Of course, he thought, I'm off-world, so she isn't here. That didn't seem quite right, though, as he looked at the empty space beside him. As his sleepy brain kicked into gear, he remembered that she was here. She had come along on this mission with SG-1 and SG-7 because many of the artifacts on this apparently deserted planet seemed to relate to medicine. He also remembered that she had drawn the watch shift right before his, and as he looked at his alarm clock, he realized that he was almost due to relieve her. He debated trying to get fifteen more minutes of sleep, but he wasn't at all eager to repeat that dream. He shuddered at the memory and crawled quietly out of the tent.

Janet was stoking up the fire in preparation for making coffee when Daniel emerged from the tent. She smiled at him. "You've got fifteen more minutes, you know."

"I know," he responded, wrapping his arms around her. "I decided to relieve you a little early." The feeling in the dream of losing her had been so intense and so devastating, he had to convince himself that she was really here now. He closed his eyes and concentrated on her body pressed against his, her fingers digging softly into his back, the slight smell of bonfire smoke in her hair as he buried his face in it. "You're here," he whispered, not really aware that he had said it aloud. "You're okay." She pulled back slightly to look at him, frowning.

"Daniel? What's the matter?"

"I had a bad dream," he confessed, feeling a little like a child who wanted her to scare away the monsters. "I couldn't find you. You were gone." The frown remained on her face as she studied him for a moment, and he could tell she was thinking about something. Before he could ask, she leaned forward and kissed him softly.

"I'm here," she said, but the accompanying smile was half-hearted.

"What is it?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Nothing. Probably nothing. I've just felt a little funny all night. Apprehensive. Like something is going to happen." She tightened her arms around him and snuggled her head into his chest.

"What do you mean?" he asked, a little worried. He didn't really believe in premonitions, but between his dream and what she said she was feeling, he was beginning to grow a little nervous.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." They stood there in silence, holding each other, for several minutes.

Loathe as he was to let her go, he finally did so. "We're not doing a very good job of keeping watch," he chuckled. "You go on back to bed; I'll take your last five minutes." He moved around the fire, gathering coffee things, but Janet made no move back to the tent.

"Actually, I'm not tired," she announced after a moment. "I think I'll sit with you a while." Daniel was delighted for her company, but at the same time he wanted her to get her rest.

"You sure? You'll be tired in the morning."

"I didn't really sleep before my watch. I'm just kind of restless tonight. I'd rather be not sleeping out here with you than not sleeping in there without you." He grinned at her as he finished the coffee.

"Well, tomorrow night SG-7 is on watch, so we get the full night to sleep," he commented. "I like bringing another team along to divide up the more unpleasant duties."

He sat down at the base of the big tree near the fire and motioned for Janet to join him. She settled between his legs, leaning back against his chest as he wrapped the arm not holding his coffee tightly around her.

"So, why couldn't you sleep?" he asked after a few minutes of companionable silence.

"I don't know," she sighed. "Cassie and I had an argument before we left—she wanted to go up to Denver with some friends, but I don't think they're old enough to be doing that without adult chaperones. Anyway, we were still frustrated and angry with one another before I left. I tried calling her from work after the briefing, but she wasn't answering her cell. I just hate going this long without making up."

Daniel understood. He knew Janet had a firm pact with herself never to go to bed angry. "I'm sure Cassie's fine," he answered in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "She'll probably have forgotten all about it when you get home."

"I hope so. I don't know why I'm so worried about it. Almost frightened. God, I hope she's okay. I don't think I could handle it if something were to happen to her, especially while I was away." The pitch of her voice escalated as she finished. Daniel set down his half-empty coffee mug and wrapped both arms tightly around her.

"Hey, now, don't worry," he murmured. "She's fine. You know General Hammond would send someone if anything happened. They know where we are."

She didn't answer, and they sat still and silent for a few minutes. Suddenly, Janet turned in Daniel's arms and captured his lips in a desperate, passionate kiss. Daniel was surprised but certainly not disappointed with this turn of events. He pulled her as close as he could, tangling one hand in her hair and opening his lips to her exploring tongue. Kissing Janet was always mind-blowing, and even after almost six months together, he was always awed that this beautiful, strong, amazing woman wanted him. They finally broke apart, gasping for air, but Janet continued to pepper insistent kisses on his face and lips. As he kissed her back, he tasted something salty and opened his eyes abruptly. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Jan, baby, what's wrong?" he asked, cupping her cheek with his hand and wiping away the tears. She didn't answer but clung to him, burying her face in his neck. "Janet?" he asked again. Was she this upset about Cassie?

"I love you," she whispered after a moment. "You know that, right? I don't say it enough. To you, to Cassie." She sat up and looked at him in the eyes intently. "I love you," she repeated.

"I love you, too," he answered, still a little bewildered. "More than you can ever imagine. But I want you to tell me what's wrong. Why are you so upset, sweetheart?"

"I don't know," she answered with frustration. The tears had started to fall again. "I just have a terrible feeling about something. I don't know. Promise me you'll be careful tomorrow," she implored.

"I know I'm accident-prone, but even I can probably stay out of trouble on a deserted planet," he said, going for a bit of a joke. It fell flat.

"I don't want to lose you, Daniel," she said desperately. "Please promise me you'll be careful."

"Yes, I promise I'll be careful," he vowed. He pulled her up against his chest again, and she burrowed against him, still crying softly. "Shh, sweetheart, it's okay," he soothed, "I'm not going anywhere. Everything's okay. I love you, Janet."

Daniel held her close while she cried, whispering soothing nonsense into her hair while all the time growing more nervous. The terrible, empty feeling in the pit of his stomach that had assaulted him in his dream came back, though he mentally berated himself. You're making something out of nothing. She's right here—everything is fine. Janet had quieted, and he realized that she had fallen asleep. To keep his mind off his dream, he fixed his concentration on his sleeping lover, memorizing her features for the hundredth time. The flickering light of the fire danced in her hair, picking out the red highlights, and her face was slightly flushed, both from the fire and from crying. He spent perhaps half an hour studying the curve of her ear and the hollow just below her jaw. As the eastern sky began to lighten, an urgency and foreboding washed over him. Inexplicably, he knew he had to keep this night as long as possible, to keep her here, safe and in his arms. He memorized the rhythm of her breathing, the pressure of her body leaning against his, the curve of her hip where his hand rested.

The sun was not yet very high when Daniel heard the tent flap open behind him. Jack O'Neill stumbled out, stretching and yawning. He merely raised his eyebrows at Daniel and Janet as he headed for the grove of trees they had designated as the latrine. Daniel heard Sam whine about it being too early, but he couldn't make out Teal'c's response. Further away, SG-7 seemed to be waking as well. He knew he had to wake Janet, that they had to surrender this night and go about the work of the day—they weren't supposed to "fraternize" off-world, anyway. Nevertheless, she looked so beautiful snuggled against him that he couldn't bring himself to disturb her.

"Thanks for having the coffee ready for us, Danny," quipped Jack sarcastically, as he returned to the fire and began banging around with the pots. Daniel could have socked him for making so much noise. Janet stirred and opened her eyes.

"Hi," she said softly. "I guess I slept after all."

"Like a baby," Daniel answered, stealing a kiss while Jack's back was turned. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Janet leaned in for another kiss, ignoring Jack's comment about getting a room. She stood up and stretched out her stiff muscles. Daniel watched her, amazed. Even first thing in the morning, she was breathtaking. She smiled at him and reached down to pull him to his feet.

"What we talked about last night," he said, low enough so that Jack wouldn't overhear, "I want you to be careful, too, okay?" He hoped his voice didn't betray the vague anxiety that he felt.

"Okay," she answered seriously.

Sam and Teal'c and a couple of members of SG-7 had now emerged from their tents, and the aroma of Jack's coffee filled the air. Suddenly, the sound of high-pitched engines came from overhead. All heads snapped up to see three Goa'uld gliders soar through the air, flying low and in the direction of the Stargate. Daniel's heart leaped to his throat, and he wondered for a moment if he would be physically ill from the sudden culmination of the dread that had been building all night.

"Oh, for crying out loud," groaned Jack. For a long moment, Daniel could do no more than grasp for Janet's hand and hold on as tightly as he could.

The End


End file.
